And Emerald Met Amber
by FireBringer
Summary: One-shot showing you a day where everything goes wrong. Where secrets are released from locked hearts. Where lovers finally join. This is where Emerald Met Amber.


One-shot, showing you a day where everything goes wrong. Where past secrets reveal themselves from locked hearts. Where lovers finally join.

And Emerald Met Amber 

****

Accidents happen, there is no way to stop them. It is just how you learn from the mistakes that make them an act of life. Let fate win and you'll never live to see the truth of yourself…or the truth love.

***************************************************************

Bright green orbs gazed out of the window, watching soft snowflakes dance on the quiet wind. Clouds layered the sky a blanket of creamy white, snow covering the ground and glinting silver in the morning light, creating a scene of rolling mounds on a moon. The girl sighed and returned her attention to the history lecture, which had been going on for over three quarters of an hour, and no one had done any work yet. Not that she minded. No matter what her father used to say, history wasn't the most interesting of subjects. To actually name it, it was so dammed boring you'd rather claw out your own eyes than take a lesson with Mr Hewitt. As like every history lesson, the bell rang halfway through Mr Hewitt's speech (followed by a very loud relieved sigh from the class) and he looked slightly perturbed before he glared at his class (Who were sniggering knowingly), turned his nose up to the heavens and sauntered out of the room. The girl glanced sideways and grinned at her exotic best friend, and they both rolled their eyes and giggled. Some things never changed. 

***************************************************************

"So Sakura, did your Dad sign the permission slip?" Tomoyo asked, gracefully tucking her legs beneath her as she lowered herself into a sitting position under the Cherry Blossom tree. Sakura nodded, smiling brightly as she swung her legs lazily on the highest branch of the tree. She sighed and looked down, grinning at her best friend.

"Yup. Wouldn't miss this trip for the world." She replied. Tomoyo looked up, squinted, and then glared at Sakura.

"Could you come down now? I don't want to spend all lunch talking to a tree." 

Sakura laughed, her voice light and gentle in the icy air. 

"I would, but I haven't brought my coat like you, and I don't plan on getting snow up my skirt." She said, kicking some snow off the branch and making it rain down on Tomoyo, who held out her hand and watched the small, delicate flakes land on her creamy skin. She smiled serenely and gently brushed her hand against her handkerchief.

"I'm glad you're coming, Saku. It wouldn't be the same without you."

"That's true. Who would I wind up then?" asked a smooth voice that sent chills down Sakura's spine. She curled her hands into fists and glared at the boy below her. Teasing amber eyes met her fiery expression with amusement and he unconsciously ran a hand through his unruly chocolate brown hair. 

"Syaoran Li. Decided to grace us with your presence today then?" Sakura spat sarcastically. The boy's expression of laughter darkened and he raised an eyebrow.

"I have a life." He answered, and then pointedly looked at her. "Unlike some."

"And I'm sure you'll still have that wonderful life when you're a bum on a street?" Sakura asked, determined not to let him win this time. Syaoran smirked.

"With my math expertise, I'll never be a bum on the street. You, on the other hand, will probably marry one, knowing your taste." He replied snidely. Sakura gritted her teeth and growled lowly, her eyes such a dark emerald of swirling emotions that the boy below nearly gasped. He'd been trained never to let emotions show through, but the object of his teasing seemed to live by them. He'd never seen anyone who was so easy to read, and yet, such an enigma.

"My taste? You're one to talk buddy. Who's on your line up today? A little bit of Stacy in the morning? A nibble of Kiara in the afternoon? A full smack up of Meiling later tonight? You have so many girls swarming around you like bees to honey, that I'm surprised you remember all of their names!" she cried, kicking a pile of snow off the branch and onto the unexpecting Syaoran, who narrowly avoided the snow and shot a dirty look up at the girl in the tree. It was true what she had said, but was it his fault he liked girls so much?

"Don't need to get so jealous, monkey girl."    

"As if you cause any emotions of that kind, Li. Go and bother one of those helpless admirers who would definitely want your attention more than I." She retorted and, seeing that he wouldn't go away, ignored him. 

Syaoran scowled and began to turn away, only to see the exotic best friend of the mystery who was Sakura. What was her name? Oh yes, Tomoyo, the girl Eriol was besotted with. Syaoran gazed into her deep amethyst eyes and bowed dramatically, getting a cute little blush from her, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Smiling at her, and in the process getting a heavier blush, he finally walked away, leaving Tomoyo quite flustered without knowing why. 

Oh yes. He still had it.

But why wasn't it working with Sakura? In all of his years as a womaniser, he'd never wanted a girl so badly, and yet hated the girl so badly at the same time. A fine line between love and hate they said. And the line to Syaoran, he was sure, was a lot thinner than anyone had ever had. He'd grown up with Sakura, been in her class ever since elementary, and as he'd grown into a handsome (not a boast, he constantly told everyone, a fact) guy, loving girls with all his heart for a night only and then moving on to the next, Sakura had grown into a breathtaking goddess. Syaoran was _one_ of the most popular guys in high school, but Sakura…well, there was no doubt about it. Everyone agreed, boys and girls alike; Sakura was _the_ _most_ popular girl in high school. But other than Tomoyo, no one knew her. She had been cheerful and full of life all the way through elementary, but then when they had all turned thirteen…she had, well, changed. When they came back after summer vacation she was distant with everyone, and when someone got close and they thought they knew her, they suddenly found out that they didn't know her at all. Syaoran hated her for being more wanted than he was, for rebuking his affections (Which had always been cleverly concealed and brought out only in teasing her) but then, he loved her for being something he couldn't get, a challenge and a surprise whenever he saw her. Like her climbing trees, no one had known she could do that. He couldn't understand why he wanted her so badly, or why he hated her with the same amount of passion. It was something that drove him crazy at night as he thought, and then he hated her even more for making him so confused. There was only one thing he knew for certain…

He couldn't live without her.

***************************************************************

Sakura quietly slipped down the stairs of the silent house, a rucksack over her shoulder. It was a calm morning…for now. Come six o'clock He would awaken and it would start all over again. The apologies, the anger…the bruises. Things she couldn't stop but wished she could. Things that were beyond her control and yet her fault. If she hadn't ran back that day, if she had gone like she had been told and not tried to be the hero, then maybe things would be all right again, then maybe she wouldn't be a pawn in a violent game of truth and chance, where things that lived by unpredictability and risks of the worse kind thrived. 

Not one of her school friends knew of how she lived her life. Tomoyo only knew half of it, and that was dreadfully far from the truth as well. If they knew, then they'd be trapped in the cage as well and would never escape. She couldn't have that. School, as crazy as it seemed, was her only place of freedom, of happiness. Christ, she even enjoyed her fights with Syaoran Li! And that was definitely something, seeing how she…hated him so much. But hate was such a strong word, and she'd never used it, not even against Him and Them. They had their reasons, they had to survive too and this was their way of doing it. They were human, just like her, even if it didn't seem like it most of the time. If this was how she was meant to live her life, then so be it. She wouldn't complain if this was her destiny, not matter how much it hurt. In some bizarre way, it made her feel special to be like part of a fairy tale, of a world that hardly any knew of. She was unique, in a strange way, and it was her life, the only life she knew and so she treasured it. Apart from the odd flashbacks, she couldn't remember much of her previous life with her real parents. That didn't stop her wondering though, wishing, yearning for something she couldn't place. She had a family, she had a friend, she had schoolwork and somewhat distant friendships with others from her school, and so why did she feel like she deserved more? What was she missing? No matter how much she thought, day or night, she couldn't place the emptiness that dwelt within a void like space in her heart. 

For better or for worse, she welcomed her life with open arms on the outside, and desperate tears in her heart.

***************************************************************

"Hurry up guys! We'll be late!" 

Sakura and Tomoyo settled into their seats near the back of the bus and giggled at Mr Terada, who's face was red with frustration as he tried to group the rest of the class together and herd them onto the bus. He'd had the same trouble when counting how many people were there, and was starting to wonder if he taught sixteen year olds or five year olds, put the two together and the only difference you'd see would be in size. Sakura watched the others from her class get onto the bus while her best friend pulled a face at some leering boys and whipped out a book, burying herself into the tragic tale of forbidden romance. Sakura grinned at her friend, wondering how she could stand all that mushy stuff. Not that Sakura understood it very well, which was probably another reason for not liking romance. Love was something her life had missed out on greatly, though she didn't realise it. If you asked her if she loved her family she'd most likely laugh and then look perplexed before replying, 'Love? What's that?' 

Mr Terada, utterly irritated by his class, finally decided that it wasn't worth the bother and got on himself, letting the others board the bus in their own time. Surprisingly, seeing that their teacher had given up, the group outside (Led, of course, by the one and only Syaoran Li) let out a cheer and got on almost immediately. Mr Terada blinked at them, opened his mouth, and then shook his head resolving that his headache was much more important than his immature class. Sakura pulled off her hat, letting her silky locks of golden brown fall gracefully down her back. She kept her sunglasses on, however, to hide the blackening bruise around her eye. Falling into the kitchen counter was not something she wanted to broadcast across the whole bus. But it seemed luck was not with her that day, as guess who sat behind her?

"Well, look who it is, if not my favourite cheerleader."

Sakura groaned and glanced at the smirking boy, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if it isn't my detested asshole." She replied in a sarcastic voice. Syaoran frowned and then glared at her, cracking his knuckles with loud 'snaps'. Sakura flinched. That sounded too much like her head against the counter last night to be true. Syaoran, totally misinterpreting her act, smirked, satisfied that he had scared her.

"You do know that it is winter right? Sunglasses are not allowed, it is totally out of fashion, my dear Sakura." He said, reaching out to take off her sunglasses. Before she could react, her bruise had been revealed. Syaoran's eyes widened, as did Eriol's who had previously been staring at Tomoyo dreamily and had turned to Sakura just in time to see the sunglasses come off. Tomoyo looked up angrily when she heard them gasp, only to drop her book and stare at Sakura in horror.

"Dear god, Sakura! What happened?" she exclaimed, ignoring the spluttering Syaoran behind her. He was lost for words, and that was saying something.

"Nothing, I just fell into the kitchen counter." Sakura explained, also ignoring the boys behind her and getting a couple of glares in return. Tomoyo frowned and looked at her best friend closely, seeing the girl closing off all emotions and so not to let anything slip. 

"Again?" she questioned softly. Sakura bit her lip and nodded.

"I'm just a klutz, that's all Tomoyo. Nothings wrong." 

Syaoran snorted and folded his arms, flipping the sunglasses back at Sakura.

"You can say that again, that is a hell of a bruise Sakura. You are so stupid sometimes that I wonder if you're real." 

"You don't like it? Then stuff it. You don't have to talk to me, and I would much rather you didn't!" she retorted heatedly, pushing her glasses back on and turning around. Syaoran blinked and growled, running a hand through his unruly hair. She'd done it again. She'd pushed him away, just like so many other times. What was wrong with him? No, scratch that, what was wrong with her? Why did he get the feeling that there was a lot more to the bruise than she was letting on?

***************************************************************

Snow covered everywhere in a blanket of pure white, the sky was a clear blue, the large lake was frozen solid and perfect to skate on, and even better, it was all their's for a day. Why Mr Terada even trusted them enough to be let out on their own was a mystery to the class, but they all promised that they would live up to his trust and quietly skate or ski like the adults they were. 

That promise lasted all of two minutes.

The people who were skiing were racing each other at breakneck speed down the slopes and having a snowball fight at the same time. The people who were skating were spinning and pulling each other across the ice as fast as they could go, and others were, well…buried _under _the snow. Mr Terada, already sick and tired of shouting at them, simply left them all to their own devices with the warning that if anyone got hurt, it was their problem and he was going to do nothing. This threat, of course, flew in one ear and went out the other and soon no one was paying any attention to rules and were having as much fun and danger as they could. Tomoyo, with her usual air of grace, was dancing around the ice without a care in the world, while Sakura was racing (And beating) everyone who challenged her to a race both on the ice and on the snow. She had even beaten Syaoran and his mates, much to their dislike, and they were presently planning something not too nice to get back at her. This, of course, Sakura knew, and kept well out of their way as she expertly skied at a hundred miles per hour down the slope, spraying everyone with flying snow as she passed and having insults thrown at her for it. She only laughed. 

Syaoran and Eriol (who was grumbling for having been dragged away from watching the beautiful Tomoyo on the ice) signed to the others of their gang and took their places. If she wanted to show off, then they'd just see how good she was, and humiliate her in the process. Ducking behind a mound of snow the boys waited for her to come passed them. She did so in a matter of seconds, and with a cry swerved out of the way of the snowballs thrown at her. Cursing, but glad that she had at least taken the bait to go down the side slope, the boys set on their own skis and raced into the trees. They took a short cut and met up with the other boys, all taking an end of a fallen tree and rolling it into Sakura's path. They had barely rolled it into place when she came speeding round the corner, seeing the obstacle just in time to swerve again. The boys, forgetting that Sakura was heading towards a cliff, cheered. 

"Take that you show off!" Syaoran yelled, whooping with the other boys and calling insults to her as she began to spin.

That was when she suddenly flew off the edge of the cliff. 

The boys cheering abruptly stopped and they blinked in surprise and bewilderment. They glanced at each other and then back to the cliff, hesitantly inching towards the edge and looking over. It was a big drop, and there was no sign of Sakura. Syaoran stuffed his hands into his pockets and blew out a breath, turning back to Eriol who was dumbfounded at his side. Only one thing came to mind.

"Well…shit."

***************************************************************

Sakura glared at the boys who were sat at the far end of the cabin. Miraculously, she had been able to perform an emergency spin in the air as she fell off the cliff, pulling off her skis in the process. With her natural athleticism and ignorance of danger, she had rolled into a ball and tumbled down the mountainside until she finally swung herself onto a tree branch near the bottom. The fact that she survived the fall, never mind escaped without even a scratch, was a miracle in itself and many began to wonder if she really was an angel like many claimed. Of course, Sakura tolerated the questions and stares from all but Syaoran, who she adamantly refused to speak to and ignored (Much to his irritation, since he was going out of his way to try and apologise, which was something that happened once in a blue moon). At that very moment, however, she chose to glare at him instead of ignore him, which Syaoran thought as progress and much better than being ignored. And so he waved at her and smiled, receiving a lethal scowl in return of blazing dark emerald. Tomoyo, shaking her head and sighing at the bickering couple, turned her attention to Eriol, who was literally drooling. She fluttered her eyelashes seductively at him and grinned, flicking her hair over her shoulder and swinging her hips as she walked away. Syaoran glanced at his best friend and rolled his eyes, shutting Eriol's mouth for him and then handing him a napkin.

"Careful of the drool there." He said, smirking at the blushing boy. Eriol snatched the napkin from his hand and wiped his chin, trying to ignore Sakura who was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the table she was sat on. Tomoyo, still in seductive mode, smiled warmly at him and waggled her fingers in his direction, earning the second heaviest blush known to man. Sakura finally gained some control over her giggles and high-fived with Tomoyo.

"Go girl." She laughed, her emerald eyes glittering with life. Syaoran stared at her. She looked so carefree and beautiful…not that she didn't look beautiful all the time. No, she was the beauty of the world. But she seemed to have the life she'd had in elementary school back, her smile lighting up the room. He missed that smile. It gave him a reason to come to school, just to see that smile. There were two reasons why he liked it. 

It made his heart flutter and let him rise above the clouds and gladly just sit and stare at her all day long. It gave him a reason to tease her. 

Suddenly, he realised that he had been staring at her like a lovesick puppy, and Sakura was presently watching him in a bemused manner. He blinked, shook his head, and tried to regain some of his composure by winking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and then rolled her eyes, deciding that he wasn't worth the bother and returning to ignoring him. Syaoran groaned and let his head fall into his hands. He was such a total idiot.

Eriol, seizing the chance to get back his best friend, proclaimed loudly,

"Syao, Syao. Maybe if you just _ask_ Sakura to tame that little puppy in your pants, you can stop putting your hands on me."

Everyone burst into laughter and Syaoran turned an interesting shade of red, shooting Eriol a dirty look. Sakura felt a twinge of anger. No one got to put Syaoran Li down but her. It was her privilege and no stupid little boy who had an obsession with Tomoyo was going to take it away from her! Tomoyo glanced at her best friend and gave her an inquisitive look that clearly said, 'well, are you going to do something?' Sakura replied with a short nod and stood up, smiling sadly at Eriol and retorting with a sigh,

"Eriol, Eriol. If you were as much as the man you make yourself out to be, you wouldn't have to resort to boys."

And then, with a triumphant smirk at the squirming Eriol, turned on her heel and glided out of the room. Syaoran clapped Eriol on the back and shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Well, she got you there mate."

The navy headed boy huffed and stood up, fleeing the cabin like a startled rabbit. That was when it dawned on Syaoran. She'd stood up for him. Sakura, his enemy and crush, who so obviously hated him, had stood up for him, Syaoran Li. And with that in mind, he smiled.

**************************************************************

Sakura frowned as she stared out of the window, tuned out of the conversations going on around her between her fellow students. Something wasn't right. She could feel it in her bones, like a chill that wouldn't go away. She shivered and pulled her coat closer around her skinny frame, glancing at Tomoyo to see if she was feeling the same. The girl, however, had ditched her book and was happily flirting with Eriol who was sat across the aisle next to a scowling Syaoran. For once in his life, his best friend was getting more attention than he was, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. Sakura raised an eyebrow and shook her head, returning her attention to the world outside. Fields and life passed by like flashes from a memory, appearing and disappearing from her sight as the bus speeded along the deserted road. Sakura was beginning to think she was going crazy. There wasn't anything wrong.

That was when the bus screeched to a halt.

Sakura nearly fell off of her seat the halt was so abrupt, and she wasn't the only one. Many of the other students were dazedly picking themselves up from the aisle while Syaoran was rubbing his head having collided with the seat in front. Mr Terada stood up and began to make his way to the driver, who was staring out into the snowy world outside the bus with a frown. 

"Bloody hell." Syaoran cursed, glaring at the students who were sniggering. Sakura gave him a disgusted look and took Tomoyo's hand, squeezing it. The feeling was stronger now. Her blood was running cold and her body was shaking, feeling like she was being thrown into icy water again and again. She wanted to run far, far away.

Mr Terada bent down to the driver.

"What's going on…?" he trailed off, frowning at the driver in confusion. He straightened. "You're not our driver."

The man smirked and slowly stood, opening the door of the bus at the same time. Mr Terada backed up as the students clambered to watch in interest and some fear. 

"Who are you?" he demanded calmly, sending a stern glance at his class who hastily sat back down again. "What do you want?"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Sakura trembled, her eyes wide. That voice…no, it couldn't be. He was dead. A strange silence descended upon the bus as men climbed aboard, men dressed in black with snake tattoos winding around their arms. Sakura's heart stopped. 

'No…' she thought.

He was over six foot, black bushy hair falling to his shoulders and piercing grey eyes scanning the students and then finally resting on Mr Terada, who paled slightly. Silver and gold snakes covered his arms. The Boa Leader.

"My, my. You have got yourself in a situation, haven't you?" 

"What do you want?" Mr Terada asked boldly, glaring at the men.

"Well, we are the Boa Constrictors. And we, if you don't mind, are going to hold you hostage. Is that ok?"

They didn't wait for an answer.

Sakura winced as Mr Terada hit the floor with a thud and was thrown outside, a bullet lodged in his side. The Boa Leader returned his attention to the silent class, smiling a smile that sent shivers down their spines. Girls began to cry and the boys all stood, glowering at the men. They wouldn't do this to _their_ class! 

The boys, Syaoran Li in the lead, raced at the men, hollering battle cries of rage. In a matter of minutes, only Syaoran was still standing, but barely. Finally, aggravated by Syaoran's constant attacks, The Boa Leader loaded his gun and aimed. Fear gripped even the bravest of the class.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

At first, Sakura wondered who was insane enough to cry out, but then she realised that she was standing and that she had screamed. The Boa Leader glanced at her, as did the whole bus, and his scarred face cracked into a sinister grin.

"Ah, I know you." He said, "You're that annoying little brat of Nadeshiko's! I never forget a face…" his eyes scanned her body and Sakura blanched, gritting her teeth to stop herself from rushing at him and hitting him until he was fifty feet underground. "I never forget a body either."

She felt sickened, the world rocking before her eyes. He'd ruined her life. Had stolen her innocence. She wouldn't let him ruin any more.

"I won't let you break any more people! I won't let you intrude on their lives like this and ruin them like you did mine!" she cried passionately, clutching her fists to her chest. Boa threw Syaoran onto a seat in anger, and Syaoran could do nothing but clutch his head dazedly and watch. 

"Except I'm still here! I'm still living and I'm still fighting! I won't give up and neither will my father!"

Boa watched her coolly and snapped his fingers.

"You mean…this father?" 

A man stepped to the front reluctantly. Unshaven and bald, he watched Sakura sadly. Syaoran and Tomoyo frowned. That wasn't Sakura's father, but by the look on her face, she thought it was.

"Father…?" she asked quietly, disbelieving. He sighed and hung his head in defeat and shame. "You promised me! You promised me the day you were part of that killing that you wouldn't do this any more!" 

To her horror, tears were escaping and trickling down her cheeks. She dashed them away with a flick of her head and glared at the men, betrayal etched deep in her features. Boa was smirking, his eyes gleaming as his plan unfolded. Finally he could erase the Kinomoto family from his life and focus on simple attacks on the government. Oh yes, he would relish in ridding himself of Nadeshiko's disgusting spawn. That woman had been a thorn in his side ever since he'd met her. She'd nearly brought him and his gang down. But The Boa Leader would never be defeated, oh no, he would go down fighting. He'd regretted having to kill Nadeshiko and her family. She had been a worthy opponent, one that could never be replaced. But it had had to be done if he wanted to live. It had not been part of the plan, however, to let the little brat escape. At that thought, he sent Sakura's 'father' a withering glance. 

Four years ago, he had surrounded Nadeshiko and her family on this very road. He had killed her husband, tortured her son and made her watch it all until he had eventual given her a quick death. Rejoicing in his win against the infamous Nadeshiko, they had come across a little 12-year-old girl, hidden in the boot of the car. At first they had wondered who she was, and they were going to leave her locked in the boot. She wasn't of their concern. However, as soon as she had turned her crystal green eyes to him, he had known. Nadeshiko's innocent child, ripe and ready for him to do what he wanted with her. The men had had some fun with her, after he himself had taken her first, but then she had seen her families bodies and her fury was greater than anything Boa had ever seen. She had lashed out: calmly, precisely…deadly. Out of the thirteen that had been given the honour of helping in the killings, four were killed. One for her brother, one for her father, one for her mother and one for her, she said. And then she had taken a crowbar and swung it at Boa's own head with all the force she could muster. He had been knocked out for almost a week, his face permanently scarred. The little girl, so dangerous that it had scared all of Boa's men, was hit around the head a couple of times before she escaped, only to be followed by Tetsuo (One of his less faithful members) and taken in. 

Boa smirked again, waiting for this girl's next move. He would have to be careful. Now she was almost fully-grown, she would be even more dangerous than she had been all those years ago. 

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura demanded quietly, her breathing uneven. Boa raised an eyebrow.

"Nadeshiko never told you, did she?" he asked, his voice filled with scornful humour. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she stared. The bus had faded away. She saw and felt only herself and Boa.

"What about my mother?" Her voice was a mere whisper, so small and beaten that it scared her classmates. She was usually so defiant that as they saw the terrified little girl beneath her shields, they had to stop themselves crying out in shock.

"Your mother. Dear Nadeshiko…such a worthy adversary. Such a shame that she became more of a bother than a player in my game." His eyes were glinting malevolently, boring into Sakura's own. He was enjoying watching the tiny flame in her eyes die. It was fighting against the icy chains of defeat and pain, but losing terribly. 

"She was a Special Agent, one of the best. She was assigned to my gang. We were pests you see. Bombing all those buildings, killing all those innocent people. Terrible of us really…" Sakura shuddered. The venom in his voice sent chills down her spine. "Then your mother came along and began to follow us, working out our HQ's and what our next moves were. She nearly caught us every time, always had a one to one battle with me, but even though she could have captured me every time, I always got away." He sneered. "Strange that, isn't it? Almost like…she let me get away."

"No." Sakura murmured through clenched teeth. "She wouldn't do that." 

"Really? Are you so sure?"

Sakura closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"No! She wouldn't!" she cried, furiously. Boa sighed.

"Face it, Sakura. Your mother loved playing games." His eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with derisive cruelty. "In the end, she fell for the _bad_ side."

"NO!!!" 

Sakura's eyes snapped open, the perfect green flashing, and the fires within burning brighter before. The air, so icy before, seemed to heat up just by her fiery gaze. Slowly, she walked out into aisle.

"What _are_ you doing, Sakura?" 

She began to stride towards her captor.

Boa raised an eyebrow and signalled to his men closest to the seething girl. They approached her menacingly, boredom dwindling in their eyes. They didn't even have time to blink before they were thrown backwards into the other men. Boa shook his head and signalled to the other men. These approached her cautiously. They had been there when she was twelve. They knew the damage she could cause. 

"Calm down, Sakura." Boa soothed. "We only want to throw the bus over that cliff over there."

Sakura ignored the men, her gaze fixed on Boa. Without looking at them, she flicked her wrists and lashed out. Four dull thuds hit the bus floor. The class could only watch, entranced. They couldn't have moved to help if they'd wanted to. This was Sakura's battle. She wanted to fight alone.

"What are you doing?" 

"Finishing what my mother started." Sakura spat, her voice low and deadly, laced with ice. Many shivered.

"I'm getting impatient with this childish defiance, Sakura. I think we'll just do what we did to you last time."

Syaoran's eyes widened. He didn't like the sound of that. Sakura didn't even falter, though her eyes flashed brighter with anger.

"First we'll kill all you love, letting you only hear their screams for mercy. Imagination is the killer, Sakura, not the blood."

Sakura walked closer.

"Then we'll have a some fun with you. Except we'll be cautious this time. We'll tie you down. I don't want you to kill four of my men again."

Sakura hesitated, the fires dieing. The pain was winning once more. 

"And then, we'll leave you in the dark, just like last time. Running blindly with no memories. But you won't have one of my men to help you this time, oh no, we'll catch you, and then we'll have more fun with you. We'll molest you, rape you, kill your spirit, and then we'll leave you in the dark, alone, with only the petrified cries of your friends to keep you company." 

Sakura curled her hands into fists, tears threatening to overpower her. She hadn't cried in years. She'd almost forgotten how.

"You can't do anything. You're weak, Sakura. Just like your mother."

Sakura broke into a run, aiming straight at Boa. His bodyguards formed a barrier in front of him, slipping into battle stances and ready to kill. 

"Leave my mother out of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she shrieked, and with a leap jumped onto the top of the side seats, pushing herself into the air. She soared over their heads and with a cry she fell, arms stretched, into Boa. 

"BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

All watched as the picture slowed. Sakura tightened her grip on Boa's neck, pulling him into the flip with her as she landed. He flew over her shoulder and into his men who stumbled backwards, others tumbling out of the coach. For one horrifying moment, time stood still, and then one man fell onto the acceleration pedal. 

With a roar the engine kicked into life and raced off the end of the road, tumbling into the field below. 

The air was filled with screams.

The coach rolled a last time and finally came to rest on its side

The air was suddenly silent.

Dead.

***************************************************************

Syaoran groaned and sat up, his head throbbing.

"Oh, god." 

Tomoyo and Eriol helped each other up form the aisle, and apart from a few bruises they were unhurt. Syaoran looked around seeing the chairs to the side of him, and his classmates helping each other to stand. Taking a deep breath, he took charge.

"Is anyone seriously hurt?" he asked, standing up. There were a few muffled cries and a chorus of no's before someone cried.

"My arm! My arm's stuck!"

Syaoran nodded and pointed to the two best guys on the wrestling team.

"Dave, Ryushi, help her out."

They nodded and picked their way towards the girl who was whimpering. Others came forward, supporting injured friends with sprained ankles, concussions, but nothing serious. Tomoyo led them towards the door, showing them to a place near the road on the grass. Eriol looked at the sky, frowning. 

"It's going to be dark soon." He murmured when he passed Syaoran.

"I know." He replied, his brow furrowing. "Ask around, see if anyone has got a mobile phone that's got a signal or isn't just plain broken."

The boy nodded and headed back outside.

"Gotcha." 

That was when Tomoyo screamed. And then the others screamed. And when Syaoran pushed in front of them, he gasped.

"Sakura."

She was hidden beneath the driver's seat and the seats behind, and also beneath some of Boa's men. They had fallen on her, their blood soaking her.

"Oh my god. Eriol! Get in here!"

He knelt by the girl's side, gently dragging the men's bodies off of her. Then he took her hand, calling softly to her. Only when the blue-haired boy arrived and Tomoyo had managed to get the others outside again, did Sakura begin to awaken. Her eyes fluttered, revealing the crystal green orbs for a second before they shut painfully again. Her breathing grew sharp and quick.

"Get that fucking phone, Eriol." Syaoran said, his grip tightening on Sakura's hand. Eriol stood up, his eyes questioning.

"I've asked, Syaoran. But no one can get a signal and-"

"Then find a god damn signal!" 

Eriol retreated from Syoaran's glare, leaving the boy alone with the emerald-eyed goddess. She sighed, her eyes opening slightly, only to meet intense amber pools, which were filling with tears. She gave him a lopsided grin, wincing slightly. She glanced down. All she saw was blood.

"Nice ending to a wonderful day, eh?" she whispered, breathlessly. Syaoran smiled back sorrowfully, searching her face for the slightest expression of pain.

"You're a clumsy ditz, do you know that, Sakura? First you ski off a cliff, and then you get yourself in this mess. What am I going to do with you?"

"You drove me off the cliff, Li." She replied. Syaoran grinned.

"Yeah. I know."

He stroked her cheek, gazing into her eyes. He saw the fires dieing. Just like her. She coughed, her body trembling.

"I'm…I'm sorry I never…never told you." She said, her eyes filling with tears. They trickled down her cheeks like small diamonds, shattering on Syaoran's hand.  

"For what?"

"For not telling you about what happened. But I'm going to now. I want to explain why I ditched our friendship so long ago…" she broke off into coughs again, and Syaoran panicked as spots of blood stained her shirt and ran down the corner of her mouth. He could only watch and hold her tightly.

"You heard the story from Boa. I lost my memories and that man took me in. He found me. He was my father from that day on, no matter what he did to me." More tears fell. "I got him to stop being part of Boa's gang, but that came at a cost. He'd beat me, call me worthless, and then apologise in the morning."

"The bruises…" he murmured, remembering all the cuts and bruises he'd seen her turn up to school with. He'd always thought she was clumsy. Everyone did. He shuddered at how wrong he was.

"We lived where I lived as I child, in the same place. I had no memories, none further than that night anyway. I could just remember Boa's face, the screams of my family, what…what they did to me…" a sob caught her words, but she forced herself on, closing her eyes. "Tomoyo came one day. She'd heard about what had happened. She knew I'd lost my memories, knew that my mother was dead, that Touya was dead…but she didn't know the half of it. She didn't know that the father I knew was not the father she remembered. But I never told her. I couldn't. I felt like I had some sort of duty to protect you all from that world that I'd discovered. I didn't want any of you to go through what I had."

Syaoran felt his heart breaking. God, he loved her so much. The teasing, that was just his way of expressing it. He wanted her to know, was sure that she knew how he felt, but he was too caught up in her story to speak.

"Tomoyo began to teach me all that I had known before. That was why I was so distant to everyone but Tomoyo. I was still learning. But do you know who I did remember? Above everyone else? Above family, friends?"

"Don't, Sakura…Please, don't…"

But she carried one, opening her eyes and locking her gaze with Syaoran's.

"No, I need to tell you this, before I go…"

"Sakura…"

"Above everyone else, I remembered you. A face, a name, and the love I felt…you were my all, Syaoran. But I couldn't remember if you felt that same, and I was scared. Oh jesus, I was so scared! I wanted to hold you, feel your arms around me. Those sensations were buried deep in my dreams, like I really had lived them!" 

She was crying now, though from pain or tortured memory Syaoran didn't know.  

"Oh Sakura…"

"Above all others, Syaoran…"

"We got a signal." Eriol panted as he stuck his head through the doorway. "They'll be here in a minute."

He flashed a weary smile at Sakura and then disappeared again, leaving the couple. Sakura coughed, blood splattering on her top and staining her teeth. She gasped and coughed again, her body shuddering. She suppressed a moan of agony.

"It'll be alright, Saku. I promise it will."

She smiled at him weakly, her hand falling limp in his.

"Course it will. It always is." She whispered in reply. In a blink of an eye Syaoran's lips were on hers, and without a moments hesitation she was kissing him back.

"I love you." He murmured against her lips. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

He drew away, watching her forlornly. With an effort, she squeezed his hand.

"I'll be back to make you crazy, just you wait, Syaoran Li!" 

And then she fell silent, her breathing shallow. 

When the ambulance arrived, all they found was a dieing girl and a sobbing boy curled up by her side.

***************************************************************

"We are gathered here today, to celebrate the life of a loved one and friend…"

The boy approached the girl, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I thought you weren't coming." He said quietly. The girl looked down.

"I had to come, no matter how much it hurts I had to say goodbye."

The boy turned her around, gazing into her eyes.

"Everything will be alright, you know that don't you?"

She smiled weakly, rubbing a hand across her streaming eyes.

"Death doesn't hurt, does it?" she asked, seeming young and innocent. The boy shook his head, his forehead on hers.

"No," he replied gently. "It doesn't hurt."

The girl sighed and watched the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she coughed, turning away.

"We'll live. Life will go on."

She waved to the purple-eyed girl wrapped in the navy-haired boys arms and looked back up at the boy, smiling softly. Their eyes met and finally, after years of torment, they found each other in the stars.

And emerald met amber.   

***************************************************************

Hey! Did you like it? Took me weeks to write this. I've never written a one-shot before, so it was sorta like a new, strange thing. 

See, I didn't kill Sakura! She was alive at the end, loving Syao and all. The funeral was her 'fathers', just in case you're confused. 

If something confuses you then review me and I'll put an update up explaining. 

See Ya next time!

Sakura_Free_Spirit


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